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Want a Lean and Toned Body? Do More Than Cardio!

If you only do cardio exercise, it will not give you the lean and toned body that you need and want! You will end up losing muscle mass as you lose weight (that tired, frail look!).

You need weight training also. And, ladies, don’t worry about getting too bulky. You would have to lift very heavy weights for a long time for “bulkiness” to happen.

Remember this also: your fat cells only shrink when you lose fat. In other words, the fat cells are still there and they will refill if you become inactive! Consistent exercise keeps the fat cells in check.

Fat loss is more important than weight loss!

If you lose major poundage without strength training, most of your weight loss will be muscle mass. It is gained (or preserved) muscle mass that speeds up your metabolism because your body has to work harder to maintain it. And, your body will shrink (lean) because muscle mass takes up less space than fat.

Muscle mass is also metabolically active tissue. It is possible to be "skinny-fat" (skinny with high body fat). You will almost certainly regain lost weight if you don't build (or preserve) muscle mass and transform your body.

This woman's exercise program was very successful! She lost 20 total pounds with only 1 lost pound of muscle. That means the other 19 pounds lost was fat! This also means less fat tissue that is metabolically inactive. She was able to do this because she combined healthy nutrition with strength training and cardio exercise.